The Birds' Calendar 



one in a hundred of those who are familiar with 

 the sounds of both these birds, who has any idea 

 of their appearance. As regards the night-hawk, 

 we may well say sound instead of note, for its 

 noise could hardly be called musical, even in the 

 sense in which the rustling of leaves or the 

 lowing of cattle could be so considered ; usually 

 the only evidence of its presence is its indescrib- 

 able squeak, as it flies hither and thither in- 

 visible in the dusk at the height at which it 

 usually remains, its great cavernous mouth wide 

 open for catching the insects on which it chiefly 

 subsists. It can sometimes be seen in the day- 

 time, but the sound it commonly makes, as well 

 as the strange "booming" when it suddenly 

 drops from a great height, the production of 

 which is not understood, are rarely heard save 

 in the twilight. 



The night-hawk is among the few of the land 

 birds that make little or no pretence at nest- 

 building, although many among the water fowl 

 show an equal want of skill or interest in this 

 matter. In general among land birds, the larger 

 the bird the more clumsy is the nest, and this 

 results not altogether from the coarser materials 

 necessarily used, but in many cases from an evi- 

 dent lack of the sense of artistic workmanship. 

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